


Stay A Little Longer

by teacuphoneybee



Series: Septic Fae Au [3]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Antistein - Freeform, Blood Magic, Fae & Fairies, Fae Deals, Fae Magic, Forests, Healing Magic, M/M, Magic, Spells & Enchantments, Witchcraft, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 05:44:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18404291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teacuphoneybee/pseuds/teacuphoneybee
Summary: There are some rare ingredients that only exist so deep in the forest that not even the most powerful warriors and wizards dare to seek them out. They are useless to all but those practicing forbidden crafts, so few would even be willing to pay the price. And those who would often know better.Henrik just thinks they’re cowards.





	Stay A Little Longer

There are some rare ingredients that only exist so deep in the forest that not even the most powerful warriors and wizards dare to seek them out. They are useless to all but those practicing forbidden crafts, so few would even be willing to pay the price. And those who would often know better.

Henrik just thinks they’re cowards.

He travels deeper into the dark woods, paying no mind to the branches snagging at his robes. They would not damage, only distract, and he has to keep his mind focused on his destination. It is far too easy to get lost in fae territory. The trees here are so dense that he has to swerve between them, the canopy of leaves blocking out nearly all sunlight. If he hadn’t been keeping careful track of time passing, Henrik would have sworn it was the middle of the night, not just before noon.

The crystal around his neck begins to hum and pull to the left, and he follows. He must be getting close.

Suddenly, the air becomes heavy and Henrik’s mind fills with static. The world around him spins, growing darker with each passing second. A soft giggle echoes through his mind. He blinks hard, clutching his crystal and forcing his magic outward like a shield.

“Anti, stop messing around. I’m not in the mood for games.”

A shadow appears in the branches above him, any details obscured by artificial darkness. Its eyes flash bright green as it rolls them. “You’re no fun.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call being knocked unconscious _fun_.”

“Yeah, but you’re a boring old fuck. You look good like that, though,” the shadow says, cackling. Its voice grates on Henrik’s ears.

“Like wha- oh never mind. Do you have the ingredients I asked for?”

The shadow looks down at him, unblinking, “Maybe. If you have what _I_ want.”

Henrik simply nods, pulling out a small silver dagger. He admires it for a moment - a gift from a past lover, and an incredibly powerful tool - and then slashes it across his palm.

The shadow darts down from the branches. It grabs Henrik’s hand, its long tongue greedily lapping at the wound. He can feel his magic being drawn out of him with each bit the shadow consumes. Henrik fights back the sound threatening to rise from his throat at the sensation.

When Anti finally pulls away, his eyes are shining even brighter and his form seems a bit more solid - Green hair so dark it could be mistaken for black, sharp features, and long, pointed ears. A long tail whips forward to wrap around Henrik’s leg. The grin Anti shoots at him is so familiar that it sends a jolt through his heart, but he can’t seem to place it.

Henrik winces as his magic surges to heal the wound on his hand. The white light pulls out of his skin, dragging another patch of pigment out with it, then curls down his arm to fill the gaping cut. After a moment of stinging cold, the glow fades, leaving no trace of the injury.

Anti’s forked tongue darts out to lick the remaining blood from his lips. He lifts Henrik’s hand and stares at it, something like awe clear on his features. “Damn, are you sure you’re human?”

Henrik laughs dryly, “I’m honestly not too sure I qualify these days. But you got your magic, now where are the ingredients?”

Anti rolls his eyes but relents, waving his hand and causing a small burlap bag appear. The bottom of it seems to be soaked through with some dark, viscous matter. “This shit was a nightmare to get - I should’ve charged you more. But a deal’s a deal.” He hands over the bag, scrunching his nose in disgust.

Henrik opens the bag, immediately reeling from the sight and smell. Yeah, that’s it all right. “And the coins?”

“Oh, yeah. Here.” Anti digs out seven gold coins, each stained with blood. “What the fuck kind of spell are you doing, anyway? I had to dig these things out of some poor bastard’s stomach. Not that I minded, but his screaming made my ears ring for the rest of the day.”

“That’s none of your concern, Anti,” he says, inspecting the coins before shoving them deep inside his pocket. “If it goes well I’ll need a few more things, and if not I’ll simply try again. Either way, I’ll be back after the full moon.“

With that, Henrik turns to leave. These exchanges were purely a matter of business. He gives Anti some of his strange magic, and in return Anti brings him spell components most witches and alchemists could only dream of getting their hands on. A few of many perks to working so closely with the fae.

So he’s more than a bit surprised when he feels a slender hand wrap around his wrist.

“Can’t you stay a little longer?” Anti asks, his usually grating voice gentle enough to send a shiver up Henrik’s spine. He turns back around, staring into the creature’s glowing eyes.

“What is the catch?”

Anti takes a step closer, his tail once again curling around Henrik’s leg. “You really trust me that little?”

“I don’t make a habit of trusting fae without good reason.”

“Okay, fair,” Anti snorts, “Here, a vow of protection and safety. I won’t do anything shifty, and you’ll be out of the woods and back home before sundown tonight.” He holds out a blackened hand, and it almost seems to buzz with magic.

Henrik eyes it suspiciously, but the creature seems sincere. “Three hours, no more. And nothing is allowed to follow me back.”

Anti’s smile splits into a wide grin. “You’re such a paranoid bastard. Deal.”

There’s a flash of pale green light as their hands clasp together, and the matter is settled. Henrik flexes his fingers for a moment before looking back up. “So, what are we doing?”

“I don’t know, just wanted some company I guess.”

Henrik scoffs, but a grin creeps onto his face. “You’re a strange little creature.”

“Piss off,” he says, “I want to show you some new places I found. You can even blabber the whole time. I know how much you like talking to yourself.”

“How-”

“It’s not important. Now come on, we’re wasting time. I only get three hours, remember?” he says, grabbing Henrik’s hand and beginning to pull him deeper into the woods.

Henrik knows he should be weary even with the deal in place. A murderous fae is dragging him into an unknown part of the forest, and he’s just going along with it. It could be a trick, a trap - he could lose his life or worse, his freedom. Any sane person would pull their hand away and run screaming in the opposite direction.

But Henrik had never done things the proper way, so why start now?

He turns his hand to weave his fingers with Anti’s, and grins when the creature’s eyes widen for a moment. A wave of giddy anticipation washes over him as the forest swallows him whole.

 


End file.
